


listen, son

by horsetrackhiggs



Series: souyo week 2020 [1]
Category: Persona 4
Genre: Family, Family Bonding, Father Figures, Father's Day, Father-Son Relationship, M/M, Post-Canon, Souyo Week 2020, dojima is simply kinda super akaward, this follows cannon technically and then isaac said well this is MY p4 ending now wwhjfkhjkg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:41:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24855517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/horsetrackhiggs/pseuds/horsetrackhiggs
Summary: Being back in Inaba after having been away at college for a few months with his best friend was...definitely causing Yosuke to experience some emotions that he didn’t quite know how to categorize. Add the fact that he is in a gay relationship with said best friend, and this town was a few steps back from acceptance in the city. Then add the fact that it was Father’s Day, and Yosuke Hanamura hadn't been in contact with his dad since coming out.--day one of souyo week: father's day
Relationships: Dojima Nanako & Seta Souji, Dojima Ryotaro & Hanamura Yosuke, Dojima Ryotaro & Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Seta Souji
Series: souyo week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1798225
Comments: 6
Kudos: 101
Collections: Souyoweek 2020





	listen, son

**Author's Note:**

> for souyo week 2020 day one!
> 
> **father's day** or ~~cloudy~~

Being back in Inaba after having been away at college for a few months with his best friend was...definitely causing Yosuke to experience some emotions that he didn’t quite know how to categorize. Add the fact that he is in a gay relationship with said best friend, and this town was a few steps back from acceptance in the city. Then add the fact that it was Father’s Day, and Yosuke Hanamura hadn't been in contact with his dad since coming out.

But it’s not like they were here to see his dad; they were here to celebrate with Yu’s-- well, his uncle technically, but it’s not like Yu was on good terms with his actual father either. It was devastating when Yu had to leave Inaba to go back to the city. For the entire town, not even just Yosuke.

Yu Narukami really made Inaba something special, even without the whole catching a killing, saving the world, and fighting a Goddess thing. Yosuke can be sure of more than anything, because even those who didn’t know about the TV World were fumbling around the empty space he left behind.   
  
Lucky for everyone, Yu was back within a month and a half. And with way more belongings than last time. Even Yosuke was surprised with his return, but before Yu got settled back into his room, he spilled everything to his partner. Turned out that Dojima had basically strong armed his sister and her husband into letting Yu come back to stay with them indefinitely once he caught wind that they were planning on leaving the teenager all alone in the city for a few months.    
  
Yu’s parents didn’t necessarily want him back in Inaba, didn’t like that he came back different than they remembered. Didn’t like the late night phone calls with friends, or how Yu would wake up shouting from nightmares, or how much more opinionated and open he had become and-- well, you get the point. They really didn’t like the real version of their son.   
  
Really didn’t help that Yu slipped up one time and referred to Dojima as ‘dad’ in front of them. It was something that started happening soon after Nanako first called him ‘big bro’. It was almost too easy, too natural to think of Dojima as his father...and well, neither were upset by that. It wasn’t like Yu was ever close with his parents, nor had they given him the same amount of love, compassion and care that his uncle had in only a year. 

They were both embarrassed by the development, at first. Yu slipping up and trying to correct himself with a red face. Dojima accidently referring to Nanako and Yu as ‘his kids’ and then trying to backtrack to clarify ‘his daughter and nephew’.

And then one day it just stopped, Yu had told Yosuke on one of their late night walks that original year. He and Dojima sat with near empty mugs of coffee late one night long after Nanako went to bed, not quite looking at one another as the mumbling from whatever television program was droning on filled the silence. Dojima moved to put the dishes in the sink while making a vague comment about how Yu should get to bed, but before the silver haired teen could climb all the way up the stairs, Dojima called out for him to wait.

“Love you, son,” is all he said before he turned the faucet on, but even with the rushing water he could still hear Yu’s response.

“Love you, dad.” 

Yu couldn’t remember the last time either of his actual parents had said that to him; so at least he wasn’t blindsided when they didn’t put that much of a fight over him when Dojima called them up with a mission one day. That’s at least what Yosuke gathered from the jumbled and vague things his not-yet boyfriend was trying to convey. 

Yosuke was happy for his partner, and for Dojima, he really was. Since that day, there was an obvious weight lifted off his shoulder. And hey, the connection that little family was able to make meant he got his best friend back to finish out highschool with. He really couldn’t find a damn thing to complain about. 

Well, yes he could. You’d think after all this time, after everything that has happened, Yosuke wouldn’t feel so out of place in the Dojima’s living room. He’d been in this exact spot thousands of times before. Was it because he was here as Yu’s boyfriend?

Maybe it was because today was about family; so maybe Yosuke felt like he was intruding on something. He knows he’s basically family with how much time he’s spent here-- hell, Nanako even started to call him big bro before he and Yu were even officially together. But he was having a hard time shaking off the feeling that he didn’t belong here.

Days like today were important to Yu because family was important to him like nothing else; and if it was important to his partner, it was absolutely going to be of value to him as well. But man, he wished he could stay glued to Yu’s side instead of sitting on the floor with his boyfriend’s dad while the pair of siblings made themselves busy preparing for dinner.   


Both Yosuke and Dojima were watching the scene with fond smiles of their own; it was never not heartwarming, seeing Nanako and Yu together. The two of them were always louder together than on their own; joking and laughing like they were the only two people alive. Yu has this sweet little smile that was only reserved for her as well (Yosuke was NOT jealous-- he got to see plenty of sides and smiles that Yu only showed him). 

Yosuke would have been just fine with openly gazing at his (very handsome) boyfriend until Nanako announced that the food was ready, but it seemed that the older man wasn’t.   
  
“So, Yosuke…” he starts, clearing his throat and shifting to better look at him. “How’s the uh, major going? Kid said you declared the, what’s it called-- theatre sound design one, right?”

He forced out a small laugh in response before nodding awkwardly, tapping his fingers on his knee to keep the anxiety swelling in his chest at bay.

“Mhm, yeah. It’s going well, the staff are amazing. Just finished doing the design for some dance showcase and I’m going to be head engineer for the next season, which is pretty cool.”   
  
Dojima hums in response, and then they are just… staring at each other.    
  
This sucks, on both ends.   
  
The older man sighs, rubbing at the back of his neck before glancing towards his son and daughter again.   
  
“Always been bad at small talk. Sorry.”    
  
Yosuke’s just about to say it’s no big deal, but Dojima’s attention is back on him so he clams right up.   
  
“Listen, son...” Yosuke almost missed that slip up, but Dojima didn’t seem phased by it or the way the kid’s tapping fingers picked up.   
  
“You know you’re family, right? To both Nanako and I.” He pauses, obviously thinking over his next words, so Yosuke knows better than to interject him.

“And not… not just because you’re probably going to end up marrying my son one day--” Okay, that comment made his face go red instantly. “--even though that does play a part, it’s not the only reason. This goes back before you two became an item. You’ve always been there for this family. B y sticking with Yu and Nanako during some of their toughest times, you were also helping me out. I knew they had someone good looking out for them. You kids all stepped up when I and other adults weren’t doing enough...and I want...no, I need you to know that you can rely on me.”   


Another sigh from Dojima; this was hard for him, being vulnerable and saying words in general, but Yosuke knew what he was saying was genuine. He would be lying through his teeth if he said there weren’t tears forming up in his eyes.   
  
“What I’m trying to say, kid, is that…”   
  
Yosuke’s breath catches in his throat and he keeps it there.   
  
Yu is laughing warmly in the kitchen as Nanako squeals at whatever lame thing he probably just said.   
  
“That I’m real proud of you.”

His fingers freeze up just as a a familiar stinging in his nose becomes noticeable.   
  
Nanako calls out that dinner is almost done. Yosuke can hear Yu getting the plates down from the top shelf.   
  
“Thank you for being part of this family.”   
  
“Dinner is-- oh my God, dad, did you make my partner cry?” There’s an undertone of anger in the way he says that, and Dojima’s face pales slightly.

“C’mon, I didn’t say anything bad! Geesh, you kids are sensitive these days huh?” He laughed loudly, placing a firm hand on Yosuke’s shoulder.    
  
Yu’s just about to protest, but Yosuke looks up at him with a wide smile after wiping at his face gently. He gives his partner a matching one back as Nanako yells out a reminder of the no fighting rule from the kitchen.

Maybe next year Yosuke will make him a playlist for a gift. He’d have to start now if he wanted to figure out exactly what sort of jams his dad can vibe with.

**Author's Note:**

> thanx for reading and hope you enjoyed!
> 
> big shoutout to henry and trin for looking over this for me since i am a braindead man!
> 
> anyways hope you enjoyed...glad to be fucking back to both my favorite week and the week i am most homophobic<3
> 
> hmu on tumblr or twitter @dumbassology!


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